Political Quotes

“I am joined tonight by a bipartisan group of Members who have come together to take to the floor tonight to call for Members of Congress to be banned from trading stocks. This is a reform that is long overdue. When people elect us to office, they should be able to trust that their Members of Congress are acting in the best interests of the country, not the best interests of their own personal finances. When Members of Congress are able to trade off of our position, it damages the integrity of this institution and of our entire democracy. As Members of Congress, we have access to all sorts of information that the average member of the public does not: what might be put into a bill or taken out of a bill, or what might be put into a budget or taken out of a budget. This is material information, and Members of Congress should not have the advantage of that insider information and use that advantage to engage in stock trading. Also, Members of Congress should not be conflicted when we have to decide about what to vote for or against. Members of Congress should not be in a position of thinking about what the impact on their stock portfolio may be. We should be making decisions based just on what is best for the American people. The American people recognize that this is a reform that is long overdue. Poll after poll has shown upwards of 90 percent of the American people supporting a ban on Members trading stocks.”